Hastert: Bulldoze Most of New Orleans

http://www.newsmax.com/ ^ | Sept. 1, 2005 5:32 p.m. EDT | Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff

[Para-Ord.45]

Hastert: Bulldoze Most of New Orleans

It makes no sense to spend billions of dollars to rebuild a city that's seven feet under sea level, House Speaker Dennis Hastert said of federal assistance for hurricane-devastated New Orleans.

"It looks like a lot of that place could be bulldozed," the Illinois Republican said in an interview Wednesday with The Daily Herald of Arlington, Ill.

Hastert, in a transcript supplied by the newspaper, said there was no question that the people of New Orleans would rebuild their city, but noted that federal insurance and other federal aid was involved. "We ought to take a second look at it. But you know we build Los Angeles and San Francisco on top of earthquake fissures and they rebuild too. Stubbornness."

Hastert's press secretary, Ron Bonjean, said Hastert was not suggesting New Orleans should be abandoned or relocated. "The speaker believes that we should have a discussion about how best to rebuild New Orleans so as to protect its citizens," he said. "What he is saying is that rebuilding the city in the same way is not sensible."

There are "some real tough questions to ask," Hastert said in the interview. "How do you go about rebuilding this city? What precautions do you take?"

Hastert announced Thursday that the House, currently at the end of its summer break, would return for an emergency session Friday to approve some $10 billion in federal aid for hurricane victims.

"In the wake of this disaster, the people of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida should know that the United States Congress stands ready to help them in their time of need," he said in a joint statement with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn.

[Para-Ord.45]

A FoxNews commentator got it right.Rebuild it ONCE at tax payers expense,then tell them they`re on their own after that.Fair warning.

[jetbanana]

Read this blog for a former New Orleans's resident take on why N.O. should be rebuilt:
http://lifegoesoff.blogspot.com/

[Anticommie]

It makes no sense to spend billions of dollars to rebuild a city that's seven feet under sea level, House Speaker Dennis Hastert said of federal assistance for hurricane-devastated New Orleans.

Can't argue with that, we are not post stamp size country like Netherlands, there is plenty of higher ground close by to rebuilt

[cripplecreek]

The city has been a disaster waiting to happen for a long time. Unfortunately very little has been done to improve the levees since the 1930s. The damage could have been minimized if corrupt and greedy politicians hadn't spent the last 70 years talking about it.

Frankly anyone who believes we're going to abandon Americas busiest port isn't living in the real world.

[TexasGreg]

Improve the levees and such to protect the business district and the French quarter and other historic sites, etc. Otherwise, relocate a majority of the population up river and to sites above sea level.

[k2blader]

Why do some conservatives love to burden the taxpayer further?

[samadams2000]

We certainly would be better off financially to cut down the size of the city..and pay families 50K each to relocate than to build a Project City to the north and support it while rebuilding. AFter all the government can only bungle it and the political criminal class will be the only ones to benefit.

[Clemenza]

Bulldoze the area from Frenchman Street east to the St. Bernard Parish line. Keep the Quarter and the Garden District.

[cripplecreek]

I hear these calls about relocating the city but no one seems to be saying who gets stripped of their property to build it and all the required infrastructure.

[leadpenny]

WWHPLD

[leadpenny]

What Would Huey P. Long Do?

[livius]

I think he's right. Keep a sort of tourist attraction NO (the older part, which was built on the highest ground for good reason!) and then rebuild a working "New New Orleans" on sounder ground.

[tomahawk]

Is Hastert trying to lose the House for us in 2006?

Apparently so.

[A2J]

The city has been a disaster waiting to happen for a long time. Unfortunately very little has been done to improve the levees since the 1930s.

Which is primarily the responsibility of the state.

When Louisiana was flush with cash from oil and gas for decades, was anything done? No, only the politicians profited.

I think it's time that Louisiana starts to think about how to remedy this sitation and stop sitting around with their hands out.

[MrBambaLaMamba]

NO land prices are going to go up, no more slums.

[cicero's_son]

Thanks, Denny.

You're supposed to be the SILENT, INVISIBLE Speaker of the House, remember?

Don't go screwing it up by opening your fat yap-hole and revealing what a moron you are!

[cicero's_son]

Absolutely.

And while we're at it, let's go ahead and vacate all lands that are subject to tornadoes. And earthquakes. And forest fires. And river floods.

Brilliant. Not.

[wyattearp]

"It looks like a lot of that place could be bulldozed,"

Sure thing, Mr. Speaker. We'll just break out those newfangled submersible bulldozers and get right on it.

[WestTexasWend]

"Keep the Quarter and the Garden District."

Sounds like a good plan. Both as National Parks under federal protection.

Practically speaking, can't the many millions of tons of debris be used to fortify the levees or create a base for a manmade barrier island or something? (God, I can hear the environmentalists screaming "pollution" already.)

[wyattearp]

Don't go screwing it up by opening your fat yap-hole and revealing what a moron you are!

Somebody needs to send Hastert a new necktie. Color: Maroon. See if he gets it.

[RightWhale]

Apparently there was significant funding spent on upgrading the levee system and the pumps in recent times, but unfortunately that project was still underway at the time of the hurricane and there were weak spots not yet upgraded. There is some talk of recent diversion of current project funding to other national needs, so even with our infinite capacity to print money there are limitations.

[TADSLOS]

Why bulldoze it? Let it sink and become a natural reef.

[pa mom]

The time for this debate is not now. He's making himself and R's look bad. Let the poor people get out and count the dead before we start jumping on their graves.

[LS]

Yep. Keep the port facilities. If any private sector people---without a dime of public money---want to build on the ocean, have at it.

[Jim_Curtis]

I think we should relocate all of the displaced N.O. residents to Illinois or Massachusetts. This will make Louisiana more conservative ( "red" state ) and both of these relocations are beyond help "dark blue".

[RobRoy]

What a whiner. He talks about blame. I choose to look for responsibility.

[monkeywrench]

This is a kind of "taking"?

[TC Rider]

Frankly anyone who believes we're going to abandon Americas busiest port isn't living in the real world.

Is there not a middle ground?

Keep the port open and move the people to higher ground?

[albertp]

And while we're at it, let's go ahead and vacate all lands that are subject to tornadoes. And earthquakes. And forest fires. And river floods.

And let's not forget the entire area that would be affected in a catastrophic eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano - namely, the entire continental USA. Denny Hastert, did you star in that movie The Day After Tomorrow or its predecessor by a few decades, The Day After???

[cicero's_son]

No, there is not a middle ground.

There is only fantasy and reality. Anyone who seriously thinks that you can just abandon a city like New Orleans is living in fantasy-land.

[albertp]

Sorry, Jim, we have enough of the whiner "survivors" already in the Socialist "Commonwealth" of Tax-and-spendachusetts! Besides, you'd be surprised at how many conservatives really do live here - Ripley's believe it or not!

[Beelzebubba]

This should be an issue for the property owners and their insurance companies. If it makes economic sense for them to collectivize for rebuilding and the needed infrastructure, then do it. If not, then don't.

[cripplecreek]

I think the city will grow again naturally due to the ports if we rebuild the levees. I just don't think people realize how much it would cost to desert the city. We haven't begun to see the cost of having the port shut down or severely restricted. I get irritated about the thought of it because there's a group that wants to shut down the great lakes to shipping (think about it). Another that would like to remove my house from a 150 year old railroad bed to build a "greenbelt".

I don't know if the canals that crisscross the city are necessary but I would consider getting rid of them. I also wonder about building a grid of levees inside the main levees to contain water that might get in. Once the ground is secure it's going to become attractive to private investors and owners. I guess I'm trying to say that we should rebuild the levees and the city will grow on it's own. It will still cost a butt load of money but it's a worthy investment in the future.

[RobbyS]

Until Huey Long came along, the state was in the hands of only a few people. When he DID come along, it remained true, but the Long Machine got its cut. Of course, the people got roads and a few more benefits, but the place has stayed subpar.

[Jim_Curtis]

Do we rebuild LA after it gets demolished by an earthquake? We should decide these matters beforehand. It would take several years of per citizen labor to rebuild that beyond help Democrat city.

[Eagle Eye]

A new port city will need to be built.

However anything less than three stories that has been flooded is probably too contaminated to be rehabilitated.

Once the water subsides there will be 1-2 feet of sludge. That means ripping out and cleaning flooring, walls, etc. due to the blackwater and microbial ifestation.

Most structures simply won't be worth this remediation effort and expense.

Whole neighbohoods must be condemned. Must.

[Rakkasan1]

for a good article about FEMA welfare queens,rebuilding in moronic places,and the like: "Confessions of a Welfare Queen" by John Stossel.

http://www.reason.com/0403/fe.js.confessions.shtml

[TC Rider]

No, there is not a middle ground.

There is only fantasy and reality. Anyone who seriously thinks that you can just abandon a city like New Orleans is living in fantasy-land.

Fine, let those that move back live without federal flood insurance or any hope of a fed handout when the next storm blows through.

I feel the same way about people who live on barrier islands. Enjoy your beach house, just don't plan on sucking on the taxpayer teat when it all blows away.

[bigsigh]

You won't need public money to rebuild LA. People will want to live there after the quake and those that can't rebuild will be able to sell to the armies of speculators, including myself, who will treat the city as the Oklahoma land rush.

[Brilliant]

If we're going to rebuild it, then let's build it somewhere else.

[Brilliant]

They need to leave the rubble where it is, and build on top of it.

And make sure they have good insurance.

[billnaz]

The army is running short of space in which to train. Half of New Orleans could be an urban combat training area, and the other half could be a field artillery impact area.

[muffaletaman]

Rebuild a portion of old New Orleans around the french quarter and CBD as a special economic area - gaming - etc. - behind levees.

Get rid of the lake ponchartrain causeway and the low bridges blocking access to lake borgne and ponchartrain from the gulf.

The distance between the Mississippi river and Lake Ponchartrain, just south of Laplace - is 4.5 miles (map thumbnails below are clickable links).

Dredge a canal - BIG canal - here, as needed to the north side of Ponchartrain, and on to the the gulf through Lake Borgne.

Relocate the Mississippi River ports south of Laplace/Norco to the north shore of lake ponchartrain.

Put a river control structure in at Norco. Bust all the levees south of there except around the New Orleans special economic center. When the spring floods come - let the Mississippi flood the delta south of there and start restoring the marshlands.

That'll do the trick...

[bigsigh]

It will take a commission two years to come up with less than you did today.

[pctech]

I am inclined to agree with Hastert, but to a point.

Bulldoze it, yes, but build up the level of the land just like they did in Galveston in 1900 after the horrific hurricane that demolished it. Yes I know that would be quite an undertaking with the area to be filled in over 9,000 square miles, but that is the only viable option to make the area habitable again.

Sorry folks, I'm not trying to make light of the situation but if nothing else we need to learn a lesson from this disaster. If we do not, then we are destined to repeat it.